Kenya soldiers to relocate and pacify new areas in South Somalia

Kismayo (KON) - Kenyan soldiers operating in Southern Somalia are set to relocate to other areas experiencing insecurity to allow other forces from Sierra Leone and Djibouti to occupy their positions in the port city of Kismayo.

News Keydmedia Online
4 February 2014

Military spokesman Col. Willy Wesonga also denied media reports that the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) which entered southern Somalia will be pulling out of the Horn of Africa soon.

"Our troops will only be relocating to other areas but we are not pulling out of Somalia as has been reported in a section of the media. The relocation is only meant for restructuring of the AMISOM operations in Somalia. KDF will be relocating to other needy areas," Wesonga told Xinhua by telephone on Saturday.

He said the east African nation’s troops will be handing over its security duties in Kismayo to forces from Sierra Leone, Djibouti and Nigeria.

"We don’t want to play dominant role in Somalia. There are other troops from Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Nigeria and Sierra Leone which will come in. We will invite the media when we have finalized our relocation plans. All these are being planned by Amisom," Wesonga added.

Kenya which hosted protracted talks that led to the formation of Transitional Government of Somalia in 2006 in Nairobi, sent forces into Somalia in 2011 to help the country fight the Al-Qaida- linked militant group Al-Shabaab, after the insurgents carried out a series of bombings and kidnapping in Kenya.

Al-Shabaab at one point controlled large parts of Somalia, including Kismayo, but was pushed out of major cities by African Union forces and the Somali government.

The Kenyan troops have been providing security in Kismayo as part of the multinational AU force.

Xinhua